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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077454">Only because I love you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple'>ToxicPineapple</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Amasai Week 2021 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Amasai Week, Amasai Week 2021, Angst, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hot Chocolate, Hurt/Comfort, Kisses, Light Angst, M/M, Past Kidnapping, Saimami Week, Saimami week 2021, Spooning, kidnapping mention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:40:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>To his credit, Rantaro tries to help, angling his feet so that Shuichi has an easier time slipping the boots off of them, but despite how high Shuichi has the thermostat cranked, the longer he’s sitting by the door, the more he starts to tremble, until eventually, when Shuichi returns with Rantaro’s indoor slippers, he’s nearly curled in on himself, his shoulders shaking, his head bowed, likely so that Shuichi won’t be able to see his face.</p><p>Mmmmm. Rantaro has never done well in the cold.</p><p>Slowly, Shuichi eases himself down into the spot next to Rantaro, wrapping his arm back around its place around the small of Rantaro’s back.</p><p>---</p><p>Rantaro returns home from a trip in the snow.</p><p>---</p><p>Amasai week day two: Book/Hot chocolate</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amami Rantaro/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Amasai Week 2021 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2212905</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Only because I love you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>written for day two of amasai week! the prompt i used was "hot chocolate"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shuichi is in the kitchen, stirring a pot of hot chocolate, when he hears the front door opening, and turns with a gasp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before rushing into the foyer-- as he’d like to do-- it occurs to Shuichi that he should probably turn off the heat, so as to avoid burning their house down, so he turns the knob on the stove and removes the pot from the burner, putting it onto one of the cold ones and starting to untie his apron as he slips out from the kitchen, flicking on a hall light as he passes through the living room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had been worried that Rantaro’s flight was going to be cancelled due to the snow-- which started coming down hard and heavy a few hours ago-- but he must be home, if he’s coming into the house. That, or it’s a burglar, but… Shuichi will deal with that in a minute, if that is the case. He has enough basic self defense training from his boyfriend, his uncle, and Maki that he thinks he could defend himself for a sufficient amount of time, if it came down to it. Still, Shuichi would like to avoid that reality, if possible, and he misses Rantaro, anyhow, so here’s hoping that it’s the man of the hour.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Shuichi exits the sitting room, he relaxes, watching his boyfriend close the door and lock it with a soft click. A smile comes onto his face, but the expression falls a little as Rantaro leans his forehead against the door, shivering, bits of snow falling from the furry hood of his parka and onto the floor. He’s never done well in the cold, but usually Rantaro can manage it, if Shuichi is there. Shuichi was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>there, this time, decidedly-- he’d offered to come, but the last time Shuichi went to a social function with Rantaro, he ended up chewing out one of the people who Rantaro’s father wanted to make a connection with, so, he opted to stay home this time-- which might be part of why Rantaro looks so shaken, but Shuichi is still frozen in place for a moment, watching as Rantaro attempts to relax.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It occurs to Shuichi after an embarrassingly long moment that he’s here </span>
  <em>
    <span>now, </span>
  </em>
  <span>at least, and thus should take advantage of his presence and go comfort his man. He pushes himself off the door frame and slips over to Rantaro’s side, wordlessly wrapping an arm around his lower back (his jacket is cold, and wet, but Shuichi doesn’t mind) and starting to guide him over to the coat rack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hey,” Rantaro’s voice is low, and tired, a smile sneaking into it; likely a forced attempt at levity. But he doesn’t pull away, or try to straighten himself out, which Shuichi is going to call a victory. Shuichi offers Rantaro a smile of his own, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek, before gently starting to pull the coat from his shoulders. “I missed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I missed you too,” Shuichi murmurs. Rantaro rolls his shoulders back, to help Shuichi with his parka, and Shuichi gives him a chaste kiss on the lips for his troubles before going to hang it up on the coat rack. He’s back in front of Rantaro in moments, guiding him over to the chair by the door to help unlace his boots.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a suitcase by the door, as well, Rantaro’s, but Shuichi will worry about it in the morning, when he doesn’t have a boyfriend in need of heating up. He unwraps the scarf from around Rantaro’s neck, planting a kiss at his adam’s apple where it used to be folded, and then kneels down in front of him to start on his boots. Rantaro isn’t a child, and he doesn’t usually need help getting undressed-- but every inch of his posture radiates exhaustion, from the way his shoulders are slumped to the way his green eyes are half lidded, and Shuichi doesn’t mind helping him like this, not at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To his credit, Rantaro tries to help, angling his feet so that Shuichi has an easier time slipping the boots off of them, but despite how high Shuichi has the thermostat cranked, the longer he’s sitting by the door, the more he starts to tremble, until eventually, when Shuichi returns with Rantaro’s indoor slippers, he’s nearly curled in on himself, his shoulders shaking, his head bowed, likely so that Shuichi won’t be able to see his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mmmmm. Rantaro has never done well in the cold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Shuichi eases himself down into the spot next to Rantaro, wrapping his arm back around its place around the small of Rantaro’s back. He tucks his chin over Rantaro’s shoulder and squeezes him. He smells like freshly fallen snow and airports, but underneath it all is the steady, comforting scent of trees, and Shuichi breathes it in for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This isn’t for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shuichi’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>comfort, though, so after that moment has passed, he gives Rantaro a squeeze, and a kiss to the jaw, rubbing circles in his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want to take a bath? It’ll warm you up,” he murmurs, nuzzling Rantaro’s shoulder slightly. Rantaro hums, and Shuichi pulls back a little to see his expression, watches his eyelids flutter a little, his lips pressing together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not… tonight,” Rantaro manages. His voice is slightly thick. “Probably should, but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hesitates. Shuichi lifts a hand to card his fingers through Rantaro’s hair, and Rantaro shivers again, leaning into the teach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you could just… hold me, for tonight, I…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi understands, and he certainly isn’t going to object to holding his boyfriend. He murmurs an agreement, and squeezes Rantaro again, gesturing for him to stand. Bath or no bath, the bench by the door is hardly a place to get your cuddles in. He guides Rantaro over to the couch, and sits him down, pulling back for a moment so that Rantaro can take off his sweater, and then draping it over the back of one of the chairs. Shuichi stays pulled back a while longer to go collect some blankets from his armchair by the fire. It’s his favourite spot, and the best one, just objectively, but Rantaro probably needs to be spooned right now, and that’s… difficult, while sitting upright, to say the least.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He returns to the couch with the blankets and slowly starts tucking them around Rantaro. As he does so, he remembers the hot chocolate he let in the stove, and straightens a little.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah… Taro, I almost forgot I was making hot chocolate,” Shuichi smiles a little sheepishly. “Do you want some? If you’d rather me just stay and cuddle you now, I can do that, but the hot chocolate might be comforting, if you’d like it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That all depends,” Rantaro croaks, opening one of his eyes and sitting up a little. “How sweet did you make it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi’s nose wrinkles. “Sweet </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he pouts, which is true; he’d made it with Rantaro in mind. Shuichi isn’t the biggest fan of hot chocolate unless he’s really cold. “Is that a yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Rantaro nods, his eyes softening, the smile on his face diminishing until his lips are once again pressed into that wobbly line. “Thanks, Shu. You’re the best.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmm,” Shuichi leans down to kiss Rantaro on the forehead. “Only because I love you.” He straightens himself up and heads into the kitchen, moving quickly so as not to leave his boyfriend waiting for too long. The only thing worse than the cold is the solitude, Shuichi thinks, not necessarily because Rantaro can’t be on his own, but more for the memories brought on by the combination.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a long time ago, over a decade, in fact, but it still affects Rantaro, as any childhood trauma would. (Shuichi carefully starts pouring the hot chocolate from before into a mug, humming at the smell.) Shuichi doesn’t know all of the details, mainly because Rantaro always dumbs it down when he talks about it, but the gist of it is that on Rantaro’s first trip back to the Philippines, where he lost his youngest sister Kikuko, he got kidnapped. They kept him in a drafty warehouse for several days with no food while waiting for the ransom money from his father.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thinking about it always makes Shuichi’s stomach clench with anger. Often it feels like Rantaro is the one protecting him, shielding him from harm and keeping him safe, but whenever Shuichi thinks about what happened to Rantaro-- what’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened </span>
  </em>
  <span>to Rantaro-- he wants to go and… well, he doesn’t know. Give everyone who’s ever wronged his boyfriend a piece of his mind, he supposes. Shuichi isn’t really the wrathful sort, but he can get angry, really angry, and in this instance… he doesn’t really feel guilty about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He places the pot back on the stove and resolves to come back to it later, lifting the mug and carefully carrying it back into the living room, where Rantaro has sat himself up, likely in anticipation of the hot liquid. Shuichi hands it to him, and watches Rantaro wrap his fingers (which only shake slightly) around the cup. He hums at the warmth, his eyelids fluttering, and Shuichi reaches out to smooth his hair back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rantaro murmurs a thanks before he tips back the mug, and Shuichi watches him while he drinks it, out of a lack of places to put his eyes. He seems less shaken now, thankfully, his face back to a more normal colour, his shoulders trembling less visibly, but Shuichi doubts this is the sort of thing that will go away without a night of sleep. It’s alright, though. Shuichi will probably be awake for a while yet, because he never manages to fall asleep before midnight, but he really doesn’t mind just holding his boyfriend while he rests, chasing all the nightmares away. It’s the least he can do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Shu,” Rantaro’s voice is a bit thick again. He lowers the mug from his lips and holds it out, and Shuichi finds a coaster for it, placing it down on the coffee table. Shuichi pulls off his sweatshirt so he won’t overheat (Rantaro is warm, and Shuichi always gets so toasty when he’s the big spoon) and waits for Rantaro to lie down before sliding onto the couch behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Shuichi murmurs. He wraps his arms around Rantaro’s waist and kisses the side of his neck, light and fluttery, peppering gentle kisses up and down the junction between his shoulder and jaw. Rantaro shifts his head so that Shuichi has more kissing room, and Shuichi smiles to himself, planting one final kiss before he speaks again. “Is there anything you’d like to get off your chest before you sleep?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmmmmm…” Rantaro seems to be considering it. “No, not really.” He exhales, and relaxes into Shuichi’s arms. Shuichi shifts to kiss him again. “Except… I love you. Missed you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shuichi smiles. “I missed you too, and I love you too,” he murmurs. He squeezes Rantaro around the waist. “I’m glad you’re home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He is. The house always feels so much larger in Rantaro’s absence, lonelier, even if Shuichi is trying as best he can to fill the empty spaces with work. He understands that Rantaro can’t be here all the time, and that some of his travels are dangerous enough that he can’t bring Shuichi along, and he respects it. If Rantaro </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>out looking for his sisters, for Shuichi’s sake, Shuichi wouldn’t be able to cope with it. It wouldn’t be fair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But still. It’s hard, sometimes, being without the man he loves. Shuichi relaxes, too, listening to Rantaro’s breaths even out, his expression relaxing and his hand falling to rest on top of one of Shuichi’s. He’s so warm, even despite the cold outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Shuichi knows it, his eyelids are growing heavy, and he’s aware only of the warmth in his arms, the dim flickering of the fireplace. They’ll stay inside tomorrow, Shuichi thinks, and cuddle, and finish off the rest of that hot chocolate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For now, though, Shuichi allows himself to fall asleep, tucked against Rantaro’s back.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm doing these so last minute ahaha.... sobs</p></blockquote></div></div>
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